JER-FALCON. 



273 



proportion than the basement. The specimen of the Jay's nest, in the 

 British Museum, is quite flat, and composed of fewer materials than a 

 ring-dove's. I consider it to be only the inner bottom of the basket, the 

 base and sides having- been trimmed off, as is frequently done by nest 

 collectors. If this is not so, I can only say that it is very unlike any of 

 the Jay's nests which I have examined in their original localities, both 

 in England and Scotland, all of these having- a shallow cup-shaped basket 

 of matted roots, placed upon a platform of birch and other small twigs, 

 very irreg-ularly piled together. 1 Sepp's figure is much too regular. 



In the autumn it feeds on acorns, which it is said to hoard for the 

 winter, but this is certainly a mistake ; such hoards, when found in our 

 woods, belong either to the squirrel or to some species of mouse. 



" It is frequently tamed," says Selby, " not only on account of the 

 beauty of its plumage, but for the facility with which it learns to arti- 

 culate words, and to imitate a variety of sounds. Bewick mentions 

 one that could imitate the noise made by the action of a saw, and ano- 

 ther that had been taught to hound a cur dog on the approach of cattle. 

 The young are said, by Mr. Pennant, to follow the parent bird till the 

 succeeding spring, but I have not been able to satisfy myself as to the 

 fact."* 



JER-FALCON {Falco Islandicus, Latham.) 



ADULT. 



*Faucon Gerfaut, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 17 — Falco Islandicus candicans, Lath. 

 Ind. Orn. 1. p. 32. 69.— Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 275. sp. 101.— Meyer, Tasschenb. 

 Deut. 1. sp. 65. Falco rusticolus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 268. sp. 7 — Lath. Ind. 



Orn. 1. p. 28. 60 Gyrfalco candicans, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 51. — Gerfaut de 



Norvege, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 239 Ib. pi. Enl. 462 White Jer Falcon, Lath. Syn.. 



1. p. 83 and 84.— Ib. Supp. p. 21.— Dr. Zool. 1. No. 47. t. 19 Arct. Zool. 2. 



p. 221. E Lewins Br. Birds, 1. t. 16. 



YOUNG. 



Falco Gyrfalco, Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. p. 32, 68 Linn. Syst. 1. p. 130 Gmel. 



Syst. 1. p. 275. sp. 27 Gyrfalco Islandicus, Briss. 1. p. 373. A. t. 31 lb. 



8vo. p. 108 Mutter, No. 73 Falco sacer, Gmel. Syst. p. 273. sp. 93.— Le 



Gerfaut, Buff. Ois. 1. p. 239. 1. 13 — Ib. pi. Enl. 2 10.and446 Le Sacre, Buff. 



Ois. 1. p. 246. t. 14.— Iceland Falcon, Arct. Zool. 2. p. 216.— Lath. Syn, 1. p. 

 71.5. B. — Jer Falcon, Mont. Orn. Diet — Ib. Supp. — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 



29. — Low's Fauna Oread, p. 35 Selby, pi. 14. p. 36 Brown Jer Falcon, 



Lath. Syn. 1. p. 82 Greenland Falcon, Arct. Zool. 2. p. 220.* 



This species is superior in size to the goshawk. Length twenty- 

 two inches ; the bill bluish, tip black ; cere blue ash-colour ; irides 

 dusky. The plumage generally white, spotted with brown ; legs bluish 

 ash-colour. 



This bird is subject to much variety, either from age, sex, or climate. 

 In the northern countries it is found quite white, which Temminck 

 says is the effect of age, the whiteness increasing with years. Others 



1 Architecture of Birds. Chapter on Basket-making Birds, p. 197. 



T 



